Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 92 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 58.5% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $199.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2024-09-09 |
Old Forester 2024 Birthday Bourbon Review
Another September, another Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. For fans of the highly coveted expression, the 2024 Birthday Bourbon clocks in at a familiar 12 years old, a common age statement for the release. But this year’s Birthday Bourbon brings something new. Bottled at 58.5 percent ABV, it’s the highest-proof expression the lineup has ever seen, a full 11 proof points higher than the 2023 version.
Like all Old Forester Birthday Bourbon expressions, this one was officially released on Sep. 2 to commemorate the birthday of the brand’s founder, George Garvin Brown. The 2024 version was selected and blended by master distiller emeritus Chris Morris and master taster Melissa Rift, with aid from assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo, according to the brand. The liquid came from 209 total barrels, aged across parent company Brown-Forman’s warehouses G and L.
I found last year’s expression had a fantastic nose, but it came up a bit weaker on the finish. Let’s see how this year’s Old Forester Birthday Bourbon holds up!
Old Forester 2024 Birthday Bourbon: Stats and Availability
The most direct way to score a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is through the online lottery, which took place between Aug. 15 and Aug. 21, 2024. Lucky winners (a minority of entrants) were announced in early September and have the right to purchase a bottle from Louisville’s Old Forester Distillery between Sep. 5 and Dec. 14. The MSRP for 2024 Birthday Bourbon is around $200, up $30 from last year.
For the majority of folks who didn’t win the lottery, Birthday Bourbon is distributed nationwide in limited quantities. As with previous years, don’t be surprised to see this listed for well above MSRP; I’m already seeing some price tags and secondary listings commanding $700 or more.
Old Forester 2024 Birthday Bourbon Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
I’m a little surprised from the start. Often, I find Birthday Bourbon (and well-aged Old Forester in general) to carry dense, earthy, and banana-forward notes on the nose. But this year’s Birthday Bourbon is brighter and lighter, and banana is far from the most dominant fruit here. Instead, it’s rich in tart apples, unripe peaches, cranberries, and red plums.
Next comes one of the more esoteric notes I’ve sensed all year, but it’s unavoidable: coffee fruit juice. It’s a bit sour and a bit sweet, with elements of the fruit candy scents I picked up on last year’s nose.
Beneath that initial fruit comes toasted sugar, toffee, and a bit of caramel frappuccino. There’s oak-forward sweetness, though relatively light on tannins. It’s more wood sugar than barrel char, and while the brand’s own tasting notes evoke tobacco, I’d hesitate to label that a prominent note here.
Eventually, a somewhat familiar earthy characteristic shows its stripes, halfway between sliced mushrooms and freshly cut grass. To be clear, these are relatively light components compared to that initial fruit and toasted wood; it doesn’t have an herbal or grassy nose comparable with, say, a high-rye rye whiskey. But in the absence of the thick Bananas Foster I often smell with Birthday Bourbon, even a tiny vegetal and fungal quality helps link this to previous expressions in the lineup.
Taste
Cinnamon and fruit glide across the tongue in unison, and the first sip is darn close to spiced berry compote. A second sip shifts slightly to nutmeg and apricot jam, those flavors getting a bit more unctuous and sour as they build toward the midpalate.
And let’s not forget the oak, which builds with each taste, carried by a proof point that drinks right at its 107. (For context, last year’s Birthday Bourbon closed in at 96 proof, but to me, it drank above that.) The bourbon is far more tannic on the palate than the nose, in this case both lightly tanned leather and wet cigar.
A malty flavor also punches through on the third sip, the only pronounced grain flavor on an otherwise fruity and oak-forward whiskey that carries its age better than 2023’s version. Salinity accumulates along the back and sides of the palate, as does finely ground cinnamon, which kicks off a spice-forward transition to the finish.
Finish
I’m pleased to say this finish is immediately more composed (and lengthier) than last year’s, which quickly became dry. Instead, the 2024 Birthday Bourbon carries spice consistently from the tongue, dissipating gradually along with some of the early spiced apricot (which sticks around). It’s still plenty tannic — losing the bright fruit from nose and early sips — making me wonder whether it might have flown slightly higher a year or two younger. The whiskey also lacks the sticks-around-forever crème brulée note of some of the best-ever Old Forester Birthday Bourbons.
Those criticisms are nitpicky. Ultimately, this particular Birthday Bourbon acts its age and finishes well.
Old Forester 2024 Birthday Bourbon Rating
92/100
Recap
This year’s Old Forester Birthday Bourbon probably isn’t in the very top tier of the line’s releases. However, it’s a tasty bourbon that carries its age and proof well, and I’m pleased to say it’s my favorite of the line over the past four or so years. Longtime fans of the expression are going to enjoy digging into something a little lighter and brighter (and certainly higher proof). For Birthday Bourbon newbies lucky enough to taste it, this iteration showcases a slightly new profile for the annual release. Let’s hope the Old Forester team doesn’t shy away from exploring more new territory in subsequent years.
*Image retrieved from Old Forester
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